Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 7 August 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start with rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that negotiations are underway for captain Siya Kolisi’s return to the Sharks from French club Racing 92. Kolisi agreed a deal to move from the Sharks to Racing 92 after last year’s World Cup, signing a three-year deal. The deal included the Top 14 club paying a transfer fee to buy him out of the remainder of his contract. Erasmus says it will be nice to have Kolisi play in the country again:

# Cricket: The first of two Tests between South Africa and the West Indies starts in Port of Spain today. The Proteas hope to get their World Test Championship campaign on track. They are currently in seventh position. The Windies, who are in ninth place, have just returned from a Test series in England, while most of the South Africans have not played Tests since December. Protea seamer Kagiso Rabada says it’s up to Test players to play an attractive brand to keep the format alive.

# And, news from the Olympic Games: Miranda Coetzee ran a personal best time of 50.66-seconds to finish second in her repechage heat to qualify for the women’s 400-metre semifinal in Paris. It was disappointment in the men’s 400-metre semifinals as both Lythe Pillay and Zakhiti Nene failed to advance to the finals. In canoeing, Hamish Lovemore and Andrew Birkett have progressed to the men’s kayak, double 500-metre semifinals. In the women’s kayak, double 500-metre, Tiffany Koch and Esti Olivier have made the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Algeria’s Imane Khelif beat Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng by unanimous decision in the women’s boxing welterweight semifinal. She is one of two boxers competing at the Games despite being disqualified from last year’s World Championships by the International Boxing Association after she was reported to have failed gender eligibility tests. Khelif will face Liu Yang of China in the gold medal fight as she bids to become Algeria’s first boxing gold medallist.

To end with: The World Health Organisation says the fact that over 40 athletes tested positive for Covid-19 in Paris highlights a new international rise in cases. It says the virus behind the pandemic is still circulating, and warn countries to improve their response systems. The WHO’s Maria van Kerkhove says data from over 80 countries shows the percentage of positive tests has been on the rise recently. She says the virus continues to evolve and change, putting mankind at risk of a potentially more severe virus.

Stay tuned for more news………….